Arrangement for and method of expediting commerical product transactions at a point-of-sale site

ABSTRACT

Commercial transactions are expedited at a point-of-transaction site by providing a customer with advance notification of the price of selected goods, by providing a workstation with an adjustable, multi-positionable scanner head, by providing a field-portable scanner arrangement worn on the customer&#39;s body, and by automatically charging one&#39;s credit account with the price of the selected goods.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/292,584, filed Aug. 18, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,046, which, inturn, is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.07/921,414, filed Jul. 27, 1992, now abandoned, which, in turn, is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/553,559, filed Jul.16, 1990, now abandoned, which, in turn, is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/392,207, filed Aug. 10, 1989, nowabandoned, which, in turn, is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 07/138,563, filed Dec. 28, 1987, now U.S. Pat. No.4,871,904. This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 07/966,906, filed Oct. 22, 1992, now abandoned, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/553,558, filed Jul.16, 1990, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to an arrangement for and a method ofexpediting the processing of objects at a point-of-transaction site and,more particularly, to providing a customer with advance notification ofthe price of products selected by the customer, to providing aworkstation with an adjustable scanning head and on-board printer, to afield-portable arrangement, and to an account card charging system.

2. Description of Related Art

Targets having indicia of different light reflectivity, such as bar codesymbols printed on labels affixed to products, have beenelectro-optically scanned by directing laser beams to symbols forreflection therefrom. A portion of the reflected laser beam for eachsymbol was collected by a photodetector having a finite field of view.Each symbol and/or the field of view was scanned by different scanpatterns including, but not limited to, a single scan line, a set ofgenerally parallel scan lines, two sets of intersecting parallel scanlines, multiple intersecting scan lines, Lissajous scan patterns,holographic scan patterns, omnidirectional scan patterns, etc.

POS scanners and readers of this general type for electro-opticallyreading symbols have been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,251,798; 4,360,798; 4,369,361; 4,387,297; 4,593,186; 4,496,831;4,409,470; 4,460,120; 4,607,156; 4,673,805; 4,736,095; 4,758,717;4,760,248; 4,806,742; 4,808,804; 4,825,057; 4,816,661; 4,816,660;4,845,350; 4,835,374; 4,871,904; D-306,434; D-306,435; as well aspending applications Ser. Nos. 193,265; 265,143; 265,548; 265,149;264,693; 367,335; 367,007; 429,198; 392,207; and 349,860, all of theaforementioned patents and patent applications having been assigned tothe same assignee as the instant application, and being herebyincorporated herein by reference.

Once a product having a symbol-bearing label has been scanned andidentified, information such as price relating to the identified productis retrieved from a data base of a host computer. This information isthen used, for example, at a supermarket checkout counter to indicatethe price of the identified product to a customer.

Although generally satisfactory for its intended purpose, some customerswish to know the price of a product before standing in line at thecheckout counter. To assist the customer, some stores post price signsin the vicinity of the products for sale on supermarket shelves.However, those signs are sometimes removed and not replaced on theshelves. More often, the price information is outdated from one day tothe next due to price increases or special promotion sales. The onlyreliable price information is obtained typically only at the checkoutcounter and, as previously noted, many customers would like to know theprice beforehand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 1. Objects of the Invention

It is a general object of this invention to advance the state of the artof such scanners.

It is another object of this invention to update inventory markings on areal-time basis.

Another object of this invention is to print updated product labels wheninformation relating to the product has been updated.

A further object of this invention is to print individual updatedproduct labels for application to each product.

Still another object of this invention is to advise a customer of theprice of a product prior to checkout.

2. Features of the Invention

In keeping with these objects, and others which will become apparenthereinafter, one feature of this invention resides, briefly stated, in amethod of and an arrangement for updating inventory markings. Theinvention includes storing information relating to inventory products ina data base of a host computer, and periodically updating suchinformation relating to the products as circumstances, e.g. priceincreases or decreases, warrant. Each of the products is identified byelectro-optically reading indicia thereon having parts of differentlight reflectivity. In a preferred embodiment, the indicia are bag codesymbols printed on labels affixed to the products.

Each time a product has been identified, the host computer isinterrogated on a real-time basis for the updated information. Ifupdated information is available, an updated label is printed, theupdated label containing the updated information in human-readableand/or machine-readable form. The updated label is thereupon applied tothe identified product.

Thus, when the information relating to the products is priceinformation, the customer is reliably apprised of the actual price ofthe item prior to checkout. No longer need the customer be faced withmissing price signs.

The electro-optical reading of the symbol is preferably performed by ahand-held head supported by a retail clerk, and aimable at each symbolduring reading. Within the head are mounted means for directing a lightbeam, preferably a laser beam, to the symbol, means for detecting atleast a portion of light of variable intensity reflected off each symbolover a field of view, means for scanning at least one of said laser beamand said field of view, and means for processing electrical signalsindicative of the detected light intensity into data identifying theproduct bearing the symbol.

Rather than a hand-held head, all of the aforementioned means can beincorporated in a head of a desktop, stand-alone workstation. The headmay be connected, in a preferred embodiment, to one end of an arm thatis bendable in order to position the head in a desired orientation.

The printing of the updated label may be performed by a printer on-boardthe head, or located remotely therefrom, e.g., a portable printer eitherheld separately by the clerk or supported on a belt or shoulder strapworn by the clerk.

In a preferred embodiment, the printer is a thermal printer that ispowered by a re-usable, rechargeable battery. The printer advantageouslyprints on leading portions of a paper roll of tear-off labels not onlythe aforementioned price information, but also sequence numbersindicative of the number of times that the printer has printed labels--afeature useful in preventing pilferage.

The electro-optical reading of a bar code symbol uniquely associatedwith each product insures that incorrect product identification bymanual entry of an incorrect numerical code at a keyboard is reliablyprevented.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of hand-held head together with a hostcomputer for use in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the arrangement of FIG. 1 in use;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side view of another arrangement for updatinginventory markings according to this invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic side view of yet another arrangement forupdating inventory markings according to this invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic side view of an additional arrangement forupdating inventory markings according to this invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic side view of a further arrangement for updatinginventory markings according to this invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a combination printer for use with thisinvention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a host computer serving multiplescanning workstations;

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of an arrangement according to thisinvention in use at a retail point-of-sale location;

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of a printer for use with thisinvention;

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of the printer of FIG. 10 connectedto a portable data terminal; and

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the printer of FIG. 10 connectedto a scanner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 generallyidentifies a lightweight (less than 1 lb.), narrow-bodied, streamlined,hand-held, fully-portable, easy-to-manipulate, non-arm-andwrist-fatiguing, scanning head supportable entirely by an operator foruse in a scanning system operative for reading, scanning and/oranalyzing symbols, and aimable, both prior to and during readingthereof, by the operator at the symbol, each symbol in its turn. Theterm "symbol" as used herein is intended to cover indicia composed ofparts having different light-reflective properties. The indicia may beindustrial symbols, e.g. Code 30, Codabar, Interleaved 2 or 5, etc., orthe omnipresent Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code symbol. Theindicia may also be composed of alphabetic and/or numeric characters.

The head 10 includes a generally gun-shaped housing having a handleportion 12 of generally rectangular cross-section, and a generallyhorizontally-elongated, narrow-bodied barrel or body portion 14. Thedimensions and overall size of the handle portion 12 are such that thehead 10 can conveniently fit and be held in the operator's hand. Thebody and handle portions are constituted of a lightweight, resilient,shock-resistant, self-supporting material such as a synthetic plasticmaterial. The plastic housing is preferably injection-molded and forms athin, hollow shell whose interior space measures less than a volume onthe order of 50 cu. in.

As considered in an intended position of use, as shown in FIG. 2, thebody portion 14 has a front wall 16, a rear wall 18 spaced rearwardly ofthe front wall, a top wall 20, a bottom wall 22 below the top wall, anda pair of opposed side walls 24, 26 that lie in mutual parallelismbetween the top and bottom walls.

A manually-actuatable, and preferably depressible, trigger 28 is mountedfor pivoting movement about a pivot axis on the head in aforwardly-facing region where the handle and body portions meet andwhere the operator's forefinger normally lies when the operator gripsthe handle portion in the intended position of use.

A plurality of components are mounted in the head and, as explainedbelow, at least some of them are actuated by the trigger 28, eitherdirectly or indirectly, by means of a control microprocessor 30. One ofthe head components is an actuatable light source, e.g. a semiconductorlaser diode 32 or a light emitting diode, operative, when actuated bythe trigger 28, for propagating and generating an incident light beam.In the case of a laser, the light beam is highly divergent, isnon-radially symmetrical, is generally oval in cross-section, and has awavelength above 7000 Angstrom units. The laser diode 32 may be of thecontinuous wave or pulse type. The diode 32 requires a low voltage, e.g.12 volts DC or less, supplied by a battery 34 which may be providedwithin the handle portion 12 or by a rechargeable battery pack accessorydetachably mounted on the head, or by a power conductor in a cableconnected to the head from an external power supply.

An optical assembly, including a half-silvered mirror 37 and an opticaltrain 38, is mounted in the head, and is adjustably positioned relativeto the diode 32 for optically modifying and directing the incident laserbeam along a first optical path toward a reference plane which islocated exteriorly of the head forwardly of the front wall 16 and whichlies generally perpendicular to the longitudional direction along whichthe incident laser beam propagates. A symbol to be read is located atthe vicinity of the reference plane, either at, or at one side, of at anopposite side, of the reference plane, that is, anywhere within thedepth of focus or field of the optically-modified incident laser beam.The depth of focus or field is also known as the working distance inwhich the symbols can be read. The incident laser beam reflects off eachsymbol in many directions, and that portion of the reflected laser lightwhich travels away from the symbol back toward the head is known hereinas the returning portion.

The laser beam passing through the optical train 38 impinges on agenerally planar portion of a scanning mirror 40 for reflectiontherefrom. The scanning mirror 40 forwardly reflects the laser beamimpinging thereon in the direction of an arrow 42 through aforwardly-facing light-transmissive window 44 mounted on the front wall16 and to the symbol.

The scanning mirror 40 is mounted on a scanning component, preferably ahigh-speed scanner motor 46 of the type shown and described in U.S. Pat.No. 4,387,397, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference. For purposes of this application, it is sufficient to pointout that the motor 46 has an output shaft on which a support bracket isfixedly mounted. The scanning mirror 40 is fixedly mounted on thebracket and is driven in alternate circumferential directions over arclengths of any desired size, typically less than 360°, and at a rate ofspeed on the order of a plurality of oscillations per second. In apreferred embodiment, the scanning mirror 40 and the shaft arereciprocally and repetitively oscillated so that the scanning mirrorrepetitively sweeps the incident laser beam impinging on the mirrorthrough an angular distance or arc length at the reference plane ofabout 32° and at a rate of about 20 scans or 40 oscillations per second.

The returning portion of the reflected laser light has a variable lightintensity due to the different light-reflective properties of thevarious parts that comprise the symbol over the symbol during the scan.The returning portion of the reflected laser light is collected in thedirection of arrow 48 by a generally concave spherical portion of themirror 40. The generally planar mirror portion is integrally attached tothe generally spherical mirror portion of the mirror 40. The sphericalportion reflects the collected light through the optical train 38, thehalf-silvered mirror 37, and to a sensor means, e.g. a photosensor 50.The photosensor 50, preferably a photodiode, detects the variableintensity of the collected laser light over a field of view whichextends along, and preferably beyond, the scan, and generates anelectrical analog signal indicative of the detected variable lightintensity.

Also mounted in the head is signal processing means 52 mounted on acircuit board 54, and operative for processing the analog electricalsignal generated by the photodiode 50 into a digitized video signal.Data descriptive of the symbol can be derived from the video signal.Suitable signal processing circuitry for this purpose was described inU.S. Pat. No. 4,251,798. Other components within the head include drivecircuitry for the motor 46, an aiming light controller in the event thatthe laser diode 32 generates a laser beam which is not readily visibleto the human eye, and a voltage converter for converting incomingvoltage, e.g. from the battery 34, to a regulated voltage suitable forenergizing the laser diode 32.

Also mounted on the circuit board 54 is a decode/control means 56operative for decoding the digitized video signal to a digitized decodedsignal from which the desired data descriptive of the symbol is obtainedin accordance with an algorithm contained in a software control programin the microprocessor 30. The decode/control means includes a PROM forholding the control program, and an RAM for temporary data storage. Thedecode/control means 56, together with the microprocessor, determinewhen a successful decoding of the symbol has been obtained, and alsoterminates the reading of the symbol upon the determination of thesuccessful decoding thereof. The initiation of the reading is caused bydepression of the trigger 28. The decode/control means also includescontrol circuitry for controlling the actuation of the actuatablecomponents in the head, namely, the laser diode 32, the photodiode 50,the motor 46, and all the other electronic subcircuits therein, asinitiated by the trigger, as well as for communicating with the userthat the reading has been automatically terminated as, for example, bysending a control signal to an indicator lamp 58 to illuminate the sameor by energizing a buzzer or beeper.

The decoded signal is either conducted along a conductor within a cableinterconnected between the head and a remote host computer 60, or istransmitted by radio wave from the head to the computer 60 by means ofantenna 36. The computer 60 serves essentially as a large data base, maybe an in-store processor, stores the decoded signal, and providesinformation related to the decoded signal. For example, the hostcomputer, in accordance with this invention, can provide retail priceinformation on an updated basis corresponding to the products identifiedby their decoded symbols. The host computer can advantageously beincorporated in a portable terminal, or in a stationary terminal such asa cash register.

A keyboard 62 may advantageously be provided on the head for enteringdata relating to the symbol and/or the product bearing the same. Adisplay 64 is also conveniently mounted adjacent the keyboard 66 on thetop wall 20 of the head, and is operative for displaying informationrelating to the symbol and/or the product bearing the same.

As described so far, each product bearing a label imprinted with asymbol is identified by scanning the symbol with the hand-held scannerhead 10 in the manner depicted in FIG. 2. Information such as price isretrieved on a real-time basis from the data base of the host computer60. The stored information is periodically updated, for example, bykeyboard entry, to reflect price increases or decreases. The data basecan be incorporated in a portable housing held in one's other hand, orsupported on the operator's person, for example, suspended from a beltor shoulder strap, in a field-portable application.

In the event that the information stored in the data base has beenupdated, this invention proposes printing an updated label withmachine-readable and/or human-readable data reflecting the updatedinformation. The printing is performed by a printer 62 that is eitherincorporated in the hand-held head 10 (see FIG. 1) or held in one'sother hand, or worn on one's person (see FIG. 2), or mounted on anear-by support surface such as a countertop, or incorporated in anothercomponent such as a scale or cash register, as described below. Theprinter includes a thermal printhead 61 operative for thermallyimprinting graphical markings on a journaled roll 63 of paper labels,each printed label being torn off the roll by being urged againsttear-off edge 65 at the front of the head 10. The updated labelpreferably has a pressure-adhesive backing so that it can be applieddirectly on the product, either adjacent to, or preferably as an overlayto, the existing label on the product.

Turning now to FIG. 3, most or all of the components shown within thehand-held head 10 of FIG. 1 can be mounted within a workstation 100having a head 102, a base 104 supported on a countertop or like supportsurface 106, and an adjustable gooseneck-like conduit or arm 108, oneend of which is connected to the head 102, and the opposite end of whichis connected to the base 104. The trigger 28 can be eliminated. The arm108 is hollow so that electrical wires can be routed therethrough toconduct electrical signals to and away from the components within thehead 102. The arm is constituted of a semi-rigid, metal material capableof being repeatedly manually bent to a selected orientation and, when sobent, capable of staying in said selected orientation until re-bent byan operator to another orientation. By bending the arm, the head 102 isinfinitely adjustably positioned relative to a symbol located in thevicinity of a work surface exteriorly of the scanner. The work surfaceor reference plane can be located at, or slightly above, the plane ofthe countertop 106, or can be located at, or slightly above, the planeof the upper surface of the base 104.

An electrical cable 110 connects the workstation to a terminal 112 whichis shown, for convenience, as a cash register in a POS installation. Theterminal 112 has a display 114 for displaying information, includingdata descriptive of the symbol being scanned, to an operator; a keyboard116 for enabling the operator to manually enter information, includingdata descriptive of the symbol being scanned; a cash drawer 118 forholding money; a paper tape 120 for recording information and providinga receipt to a customer of the purchase of an object bearing the symbolbeing scanned; a recharger 122 for recharging and supplying electricalpower to a battery mounted either within the base 104 or the head 102; adecode module 124 (in case the decode module is not located within thebase 104, arm 108, or head 102); and a data base 126 of a host computer.A connector 128 can be used to download the stored data to another database.

The entire installation shown in FIG. 3 is known as an intelligentterminal. The arm 108 can be manipulated with multiple degrees offreedom of movement to insure that the exiting laser beam (depicted bythe arrow 130) strikes the symbol and/or the returning reflected lightis collected from the symbol.

The laser scanning head 100 of FIG. 3 is of the retro-reflective typewherein the outgoing incident laser beam, as well as the field of viewof the sensor means, are scanned. It will be readily understood thatother variants also are within the spirit of this invention. Forexample, the outgoing incident laser beam can be directed to, and sweptacross, the symbol through one window on the head, while the field ofview is not scanned and the returning laser light is collected throughanother window on the head. Also, the outgoing incident beam can bedirected to, but not swept across, the symbol, while the field of viewis scanned.

The printer 62 can be incorporated within the head. As shown in FIG. 3,the printer 62 is situated within a downward handle-like extension ofthe head. Any components previously mounted within the handle can bemoved, for example, to the base 104 or the terminal 112.

Turning now to the so-called "zero footprint" embodiment of FIG. 4, mostor all of the components within the hand-held head of FIG. 1 can bemounted within a lamp-like workstation 200 having a bendable arm 202 anda head 204 in which the printer 62 is mounted. The workstation isanchored to the support surface 106. The head can communicate with theterminal 112, for example, by radio wave communication, via antennae206, 208. The workstation 200 can scan bulky or small objects, such asdelicatessen sandwich 210, and its slim, compact design clears valuablepoint-of-sale counter space, leaving more room for customers to put downtheir purchases and giving employees more room to work.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the bendable arm 108 and the head 102,including the printer 62, are neither anchored to the base 104 nor thesupport surface 106, but, instead, are directly connected to the cashregister terminal 112.

As described in the embodiments of FIGS. 3-5, the bendable arm 108,202enables the operator to specifically position the scanner head over theworking surface so that the distance between the head and the productsbearing the symbols to be scanned may be optimally adjusted. Inpractice, the operator will pass the articles bearing symbols to bescanned in a fairly rapid manner under the scanning head. The head willemit a laser beam scan pattern which covers the entire portion of theworking surface so that the operator need not repetitively pass thearticle over a specific area such as an X-shaped slot formed in acountertop. Known slot-type scanners often require multiple passes ofthe article and symbol over a countertop slot in order to achieve anaccurate registration of the symbol with respect to the scan pattern.Since the scan pattern in the present invention is, advantageously, amulti-directional pattern of the type described in U.S. Ser. No.392,207, filed Aug. 10, 1989, there is a much higher probability thatone of the scan lines will extend across the symbol regardless of theorientation of the article on the working surface.

Another feature of the present invention is known as the automaticobject sensing feature. Since the scanner workstation of FIGS. 3-5 isintended to operate in a hands-free mode, it is important in the designof the present invention that the scanning take place continuously. Whena bar code symbol is detected in the workstation, typically byinterruption of an infrared beam, and correctly decoded, the datarepresentative of the symbol is automatically entered into the POSterminal, and an indicator alerts the operator that a successful readhas occurred. Although the scan lines will still continue to scan thebar code symbol on the article while the article is in the workstation,an inhibiting signal is generated after a successful read to prevent thesame symbol from being read a multiple number of times.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a hand-held head 150 having an on-board printer62, and actuatable, just like head 10, by a trigger 28, is connected viaa cable 152 to the cash register terminal 112. The head 150 may be heldin one's hand and/or mounted in a stand 154 resting on the tabletop 106,or may be mounted, at least temporarily, in a cradle 156 extendingoutwardly from the side of the terminal 112.

An integrated housing as shown in FIG. 7 includes a keyboard 164, adisplay 166, and a slot 168 through which updated labels 170 issue. Aninternal printing mechanism, which is driven preferably by a bar codesymbol input, prints the data 172 on each label 170. The data may beencoded as a one-dimensional bar code symbol, e.g., a UPC symbol, or asa two-dimensional or multi-track bar code symbol as shown for label 170.Reference may be had to U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,239 for details ofmulti-track bar code symbols used for greater spatial efficiency.

The data 172 may be just price-related information, or, as shown forlabel 174, may include additional coded information 176, such as asequence number, indicative of the cumulative number of times that theprinter has printed a label. Thus, the total number of labels printedcan be tracked to assist in preventing pilferage.

Each head or workstation described herein is preferably operative inthree modes or operational states. The first, or so-called "sleep" mode,is an inactive state. The second, or so-called "aiming" mode, emits apointing or aiming light beam to assist the operator in correctlyorienting the product label. The aiming light beam can be a circular orelliptical beam spot, or a short linear sweep on the symbol. The third,or so-called "scanning" mode, emits a light beam which scans and readsthe entire symbol.

As shown in FIG. 8, the host computer 60 can serve multiple heads orworkstations such as workstations 200. Each workstation is independentlyoperable to scan a product label, print an updated label, and enable anoperator to apply the printed label on a product in a so-called"scan-print-apply" operation.

It is further advantageous if the aforementioned decode/control means56, as well as all the other components in the head or workstation, aremounted on a single circuit board such as board 54. A number of thingsthen become possible that are advantageous both during manufacturing andin use in the field. For example, the microprocessor 30 can controlfunctions that otherwise might not be possible, or might requireexpensive hardware.

During manufacture of the head or workstation, for example, themicroprocessor 30 could control such things as motor scan amplitude (orscan speed) and laser power. This would permit automatic adjustment ofthese settings to the proper levels, when placed in a fixture that canprovide feedback to the scanner so that it will know when the settingsare correct. This eliminates expensive and time-consuming human labor,and increases produce reliability and consistency by eliminating humanerror.

With the microprocessor in control, scanning performance can beimproved. Such things as gain of the analog amplifiers, motor speed, anddigitizing thresholds can be varied by the microprocessor to help decodedifficult-to-read symbols.

Some of these things can be varied with the decode/control means remotefrom the scanner, but it will increase the number of interconnectionsbetween the scanner and decode/control means which increases size andcost of interconnecting cables and connectors.

Other adjustments, such as laser power or motor speed, which areautomatically set during manufacturing, require that the decode/controlmeans and scanner be on one board, as the decoder will have learned theproper settings for its particular scanner, and so must never beconnected to another scanner.

The decode/control means can control such functions by usingdigital-to-analog converters, digitally-controlled potentiometers orattenuators, analog switches, or whatever is appropriate for thefunction being controlled. Proper settings that are determined duringmanufacturing can be stored in non-volatile memory in the microprocessorso they can be restored each time the scanner is powered up.

Turning now to FIG. 9, a point-of-sale counter 220, such as anappetizing counter, has a plurality of appetizing products such as fish222, meat 224, potato salad 226, cheese 228, salami 230, just to mentiona few exemplary choices. Each product is associated uniquely with a barcode symbol. For example, flags 232, 234, 236, 238, 240 bear uniquecoded symbols which, when electro-optically scanned, decoded and read,respectively identify the products 222, 224, 226, 228, 230.

The counter 220 also includes a cash register 112 of the type shown, forexample, in FIG. 4 and having an antenna 208, as well as a combinationprinter of the type shown in FIG. 7. A clerk stands behind the counter220 and holds a scanner 10 of the type shown in FIG. 1.

In use, a customer walks up to the counter 220 and requests a portion242 of a particular product, such as salami 230. The clerk aims thescanner 10 at the flag 240 to advise the system that the product is, infact, salami. It is this optical identification of the product whichprevents operator error as is common with manual entry of productidentification codes in known systems.

With the product known, the price information is determined, and a labelsuch as label 170, 174 is printed, as described above. The label isapplied to the salami portion 242, typically on a paper wrappingtherefor.

In a modification, the scanner 10 is provided with a slot 244 throughwhich magnetically encoded credit cards are passed for the purpose ofcharging the customer's account, all at one location.

This invention is not intended to be limited to food counters, since anymerchandise can be optically read in the manner described above. In aretail situation such as a clothing store, the scanner 10 couldadditionally be provided with a tag deactivator of the type described inSer. No. 236,249, filed Aug. 25, 1988, now abandoned.

Inventory control is tightened with the arrangement described herein.Typically, the in-store processor (host computer) assigns a serialnumber to the product portion 242. The processor then adds thisinformation to the point-of-sale product file with the correct price.Once the product portion is scanned, the serial number is deleted fromthe product file.

The printing of a symbol is performed by a printer that is eitherincorporated in a hand-held head, or held in one's other hand, or wornon one's person, or mounted on a nearby support surface such as acounter-top, or incorporated in another component such as a scale orcash register, as described above. The printer advantageously includes athermal printhead operative for thermally imprinting graphical markingson a journaled roll of paper labels, each printed label being torn offthe roll by being urged against a tear-off edge at the front of theprinthead. The label preferably has a pressure-adhesive backing so thatit can be applied directly on the product or packaging therefor.

FIG. 10 illustrates a printer 250 for printing transaction receipts. Theprinter 250 includes a thermal printhead for imprinting graphicalmarkings on a paper roll 252, each receipt being torn off the roll bybeing urged against a tear-off edge 254. Printer 250 may be used as astand-alone printer, or can be carried in one's hand, or on one's personin a holster, or as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, can be connected to aportable data terminal. The printer 250 may be provided with or withouta magnetic stripe reader, can print on single- or two-ply plain paper,and includes an internal paper advance button for loading, as well as asingle-line paper advance button. Other features include a low batterywarning light and a battery charging light.

FIG. 11 illustrates an alternative printer/scanner arrangement which canbe used with the present invention. The arrangement comprises a portabledata terminal 260 having a keyboard 262 for data entry, and a screen264. Attached to the portable data terminal are the integrated printer250 and a separate bar code reader 266 which is tethered to theterminal.

An alternative printer/scanner arrangement is shown in FIG. 12. Asbefore, this comprises a portable data terminal 270 having a keyboard272 and a screen 274. However, in this case the terminal incorporates anintegral scanner head 276. Tethered to the terminal is the printer 250.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, also may find a useful application in other types ofconstructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in anarrangement for and method of updating inventory markings, it is notintended to be limited to the details shown, since various modificationsand structural changes may be made without departing in any way from thespirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A method of advising a customer of the prices of productsoffered at a self-service store prior to checkout, comprising the stepsof:a) storing product identity information and data including priceattributes of each product in a common data base of a host computer; b)situating a tag bearing coded indicia having parts of different lightreflectivity adjacent to each of the products, each coded indiciarepresenting the identity of a respective product; c) providing thecustomer with a single portable trigger-actuated self-scanningelectro-optical reader having an on-board trigger, and a printer unitboth entirely supported by the customer; d) electro-opticallyautomatically and repetitively scanning and reading the coded indicia onthe tag situated with a product visually selected by the customer byaiming the reader relative to, and at a distance away from, the codedindicia to position thereon a light beam emitted exteriorly of thereader, and by actuating the trigger to move said light beam relative tothe reader across the coded indicia to automatically identify theproduct selected by the customer to the host computer; e) automaticallyaccessing the data base upon product identification to automaticallyretrieve the stored data corresponding to the price attributes of theproduct selected; f) automatically printing upon data retrievalhuman-readable data representing the retrieved price data on a labelwith the unit; and g) said accessing and printing steps beingautomatically performed on a real-time basis subsequent to said readingstep while the reader and the unit are supported by the customer.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the printing step is performed byimprinting graphical markings on a paper roll.
 3. The method accordingto claim 2, and further comprising the step of tearing a leading portionof the roll to form the label.
 4. An arrangement for advising a customerof the prices of products offered at a self-service store prior tocheckout, comprising:a) a computer having a data base in which productidentity information and data including price attributes of each productare stored; b) a tag bearing coded indicia having parts of differentlight reflectivity situated adjacent to each of the products, each codedindicia representing the identity of a respective product; c) a singleportable trigger-actuated self-scanning electro-optical reader having anon-board trigger, entirely supported and actuated by the customer, forelectro-optically automatically and repetitively scanning and readingthe coded indicia on the tag situated with a product visually selectedby the customer, including means for directing a light beam exteriorlyof the reading means, and means responsive to actuating the trigger formoving the light beam relative to the reader on and across the codedindicia on the tag of the selected product to automatically identify theselected product to the host computer and produce a signal when suchidentification is successfully made; d) means for accessing the database on a real-time basis while the reader is supported by the customerin automatic response to said signal from the reader to retrieve thestored data corresponding to the price attribute of the selectedproduct; and e) means entirely supported by the customer, forautomatically printing human-readable data representing the retrievedprice data on a label for each selected product on a real-time basiswith the operation of the means for accessing the data base while thereader is supported by the customer.
 5. The arrangement according toclaim 4, wherein the printing means includes a printhead for imprintinggraphical markings on a paper roll.
 6. The arrangement according toclaim 5, wherein the printhead has a tear-off edge.
 7. A field-portablearrangement for processing objects, comprising:a) a single portable,hand-held, trigger-actuated self-scanning electro-optical reader havingan on-board trigger, actuatable by a user, for electro-opticallyautomatically and repetitively scanning and reading coded indicia on anobject by moving a light beam emitted from the reader relative to thereader and across the coded indicia, and for generating an electricalsignal indicative of the indicia; b) a peripheral unit remote from thereader and including a data base in which data relating to the objectsare stored; c) means for establishing a two-way communications linkbetween the hand-held reader and the peripheral unit, for transmittingthe electrical signal to the data base while the reader is entirelysupported by the user, and for responsively retrieving stored data ofthe object being scanned and read while the reader is entirely supportedby the user; and d) means supported by the user for automaticallypriming the retrieved data while the reader is entirely supported by theuser.
 8. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the peripheralunit is worn on the user's body.
 9. The arrangement according to claim8, wherein the peripheral unit includes means for communicating by radiofrequency with a remote host device.
 10. The arrangement according toclaim 7, wherein the hand-held means includes a head having a keyboardfor manually entering information, and a display for displayinginformation.
 11. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein theperipheral unit includes a belt worn about the user's waist, and whereinthe unit is suspended from the belt.
 12. The arrangement according toclaim 7, wherein the link includes an electrical cable having oppositeends respectively connected to the hand-held means and the unit.